Chris Rock Tears Into Jussie Smollett At NAACP Image Awards

BYAron A.Updated on September 26, 20229.4K Views

Chris Rock onstage at the 50th NAACP Image Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 30, 2019 in Hollywood, California.

Jussie Smollett was nominated for an NAACP award.

Jussie Smollett might not be facing charges anymore but he's still being scrutinized in the court of public opinion. He might maintain his innocence, but that hasn't been enough to convince the rest of the world. The actor was nominated for an NAACP Image Award but ultimately lost to Jesse Williams. He didn't attend the award show either but that didn't stop Chris Rock from tearing into him.

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Jussie Smollett's work on Empire earned him a nomination for best supporting actor in a drama series. He reportedly flew out to L.A. for the award show but bailed last minute, TMZ reports. Chris Rock was told not to crack any jokes about Jussie Smollett but clearly, he didn't listen.

"They said no Jussie Smollett jokes. Yeah, I know, I know. What a waste of light skin. You know what I could do with that light skin? That curly hair? My career would be outta here! I'd be f*cking running Hollywood," he said. "What the hell was he thinking? From now on ... you're 'Jessie' from now on, you don't get the 'u' no more. That 'u' was respect, you ain't getting no respect from me."

The crowd broke into laughter but Trevor Noah seemed to find the joke more funny than most people. However, Jussie did get support from Yara Shahidi who said that she stands with the actor during her acceptance speech.

About The Author

Aron A.

Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.